eIDAS 2.0 directly affects the energy sector by introducing standardised digital identity requirements that apply to any organisation providing or accessing digital services across the EU, including energy providers, grid operators, and smart infrastructure platforms. For the energy sector, this means that machine-to-machine communication, remote access to grid systems, and customer-facing digital services must all align with the regulation’s trust and identity standards. This article walks through the key questions energy organisations are asking about eIDAS 2.0, smart grid identity, and what to do next.
What changes does eIDAS 2.0 introduce for energy providers?
eIDAS 2.0, formally Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, amends Regulation (EU) 910/2014 and significantly expands the digital identity framework by making it mandatory across all EU Member States and extending its scope to the private sector. For energy providers, the most important change is that organisations offering digital services must accept and support the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, and any digital interactions involving identity verification must meet the regulation’s updated trust requirements.
The original Regulation (EU) 910/2014 focused primarily on cross-border recognition of national eID schemes between governments. eIDAS 2.0 goes considerably further. It requires every Member State to provide a EUDI Wallet to citizens, residents, and businesses by the legal deadline of 24 December 2026. Governance of the EUDI Wallet framework is a shared responsibility: the European Commission manages the legal framework and adopts implementing acts that contain legally binding requirements; Member States provide or mandate wallet solutions, certify and notify them, and supervise actors within their jurisdiction; and qualified trust service providers, wallet providers, and issuers of Person Identification Data and attestations each carry distinct roles within that structure.
On the private sector side, the obligation for relevant regulated sectors, including energy, to accept the EUDI Wallet applies from 24 December 2027 under Article 5f of the amended regulation. This obligation applies where strong user authentication is required by law or contract. Micro and small enterprises, defined as organisations with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than 10 million euros, are excluded. Very Large Online Platforms are subject to a separate provision under Article 5f, where the obligation applies when the platform requires user authentication, on the voluntary request of the user and for the minimum necessary data.
For energy providers specifically, this introduces new obligations around how they authenticate customers, contractors, and automated systems. Online portals for billing, consumption data, grid access, and service agreements all fall within scope. Organisations that have not yet reviewed their digital identity infrastructure against eIDAS 2.0 requirements risk compliance gaps as the regulation takes full effect.
How does smart grid identity management work under eIDAS 2.0?
Smart grid identity management under eIDAS 2.0 refers to the use of standardised, trusted digital identities to authenticate the entities, devices, and systems that interact within a smart energy network. This includes human users as well as automated systems, connected devices, and third-party service providers that need verified access to grid infrastructure.
Modern smart grids are highly interconnected. Sensors, meters, control systems, and external platforms constantly exchange data and commands. Each of these interactions carries risk if the identity of the participating party cannot be reliably verified. eIDAS 2.0 introduces a framework that allows energy operators to rely on cryptographically secured credentials rather than fragmented, system-specific authentication methods.
This matters particularly for grid operators managing distributed energy resources such as solar installations, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging networks. Each of these assets may be operated by different organisations or individuals who need authenticated access to grid management systems. Under eIDAS 2.0, that authentication can be standardised, auditable, and interoperable across borders, which is increasingly important as European energy networks become more integrated. Practical interoperability across Member States will develop in phases as national wallets are certified, notified, and adopted by relying parties.
What are verifiable credentials and how do they apply to energy systems?
Verifiable credentials are digital documents that prove specific attributes about a person or organisation in a tamper-evident, cryptographically secured format. They are a core building block of eIDAS 2.0 and the EUDI Wallet, and they have direct applications in energy systems wherever trusted proof of identity, authorisation, or qualification is needed.
In practical terms, a verifiable credential works like a digital attestation that can be checked without necessarily contacting the original issuer for every verification step. The credential holder stores it in their EUDI Wallet and presents it when needed. The receiving system verifies its authenticity through a set of checks: verifying the issuer’s signature against the relevant national trusted list, which is part of the EU List of Trusted Lists (LOTL); checking the revocation status through the issuer’s status information; and checking the wallet unit attestation to confirm that the presenting wallet runs on a certified wallet solution. The first of these checks can be performed fully offline; the others require connectivity.
The eIDAS 2.0 framework supports the credential formats mdoc and SD-JWT VC, as specified in the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF). For proximity presentation, ISO/IEC 18013-5 applies; for online presentation, ISO/IEC TS 18013-7 is used. Issuance uses the OID4VCI protocol and presentation uses OID4VP.
In energy contexts, verifiable credentials and attestations can be applied in several ways:
- Proving that a technician is certified to access or maintain grid infrastructure
- Verifying that a prosumer or energy trader is authorised to participate in a specific market or grid programme
- Confirming that a connected device or installation meets regulatory requirements
- Authenticating organisations involved in cross-border energy trading or balancing
- Enabling reusable compliance checks for contractors and third-party service providers
The reusability aspect is particularly valuable. Once a credential has been issued and verified, it can be accepted across multiple systems and organisations without repeating the full underlying verification process. This reduces friction and cost while maintaining a high level of trust. Where credentials are used across borders, energy organisations should be aware that national registration requirements and sector-specific legislation continue to apply alongside the common European framework, and cross-border recognition of credentials does not remove those obligations.
Which energy sector use cases are most affected by eIDAS 2.0?
The energy sector use cases most affected by eIDAS 2.0 are those that involve digital access, identity verification, or trusted data exchange between multiple parties. This includes customer-facing digital services, remote grid access, cross-border energy transactions, and the management of distributed energy assets.
Looking across the sector, several areas stand out as high priority:
- Customer portal access and digital contracting: Energy suppliers offering online account management, consumption insights, or digital contract signing must align with eIDAS 2.0 identity standards and support EUDI Wallet-based authentication by the applicable deadlines.
- Grid access for third parties: Flexibility service providers, aggregators, and demand response operators who need authenticated access to grid management systems will need to meet the updated trust requirements.
- Cross-border energy trading: Organisations involved in European energy markets where identity and authorisation data crosses national borders benefit from the standardised trust framework eIDAS 2.0 introduces. National registration requirements and sector-specific rules remain in place alongside that framework, and not every credential will automatically carry the same legal consequence in every Member State.
- Prosumer and EV integration: Households and businesses feeding energy back into the grid or managing EV charging infrastructure need verified identities to participate in grid programmes and receive payments.
- Contractor and workforce management: Energy infrastructure operators who manage large numbers of external contractors can use verifiable credentials and attestations to streamline identity checks and access authorisation at scale.
Each of these use cases involves multiple parties exchanging trusted information. eIDAS 2.0 provides the common framework that makes this possible across organisational and national boundaries, while sector-specific and national requirements continue to apply where relevant.
What compliance steps should energy organisations take now?
Energy organisations should start by mapping their current digital identity touchpoints against eIDAS 2.0 requirements. The regulation is already in force, and the legal deadlines are fixed: 24 December 2026 for Member States’ EUDI Wallet obligations, and 24 December 2027 for the private sector acceptance obligation under Article 5f. The 2026 deadline marks when Member States must have their wallet obligations in place; it does not guarantee that every national wallet will have reached the same level of maturity, or that every cross-border use case will be fully operational throughout Europe on that date. Practical interoperability and national rollout will develop in phases. Organisations should not wait for a single European go-live moment before acting, as doing so increases both technical and compliance risk.
A practical starting point involves three areas. First, assess which digital services and systems involve identity verification or trusted data exchange. Second, evaluate whether existing authentication methods meet the assurance levels required under eIDAS 2.0. Third, identify where the organisation will need to accept verifiable credentials and attestations, and what infrastructure changes that requires.
Under CIR (EU) 2025/848, adopted on 6 May 2025, a relying party must register with the national authority of its Member State of establishment before it can request wallet data. Registration is per intended use, specifying which attributes and attestations will be requested. The wallet checks incoming requests against this registered scope. A relying party is not tied to a single wallet provider; it must be able to accept every relevant notified wallet, regardless of the provider.
Energy organisations operating across multiple EU countries should pay particular attention to interoperability. The eIDAS 2.0 framework is designed so that a certified wallet from one Member State can be used with an appropriate relying party in another Member State, but this does not mean that every use case will be immediately available in every country, or that national registration requirements disappear. Organisations that prepare their digital infrastructure early will be better positioned to operate across borders without friction as national rollouts mature.
It is also worth engaging with sector-specific guidance as it emerges. Regulators, national competent authorities, and industry bodies are developing implementation frameworks tailored to critical infrastructure sectors, including energy. Staying informed through these channels helps organisations translate general regulatory requirements into concrete technical actions.
How TrustTech helps energy organisations with eIDAS 2.0 and smart grid identity
Preparing for eIDAS 2.0 in the energy sector requires rethinking how identity flows through your systems, from customer onboarding to grid access and cross-border data exchange. The ID Connector is an integration that lets relying parties accept every certified European wallet, whatever Member State issued it, for identification, login and qualified signing. EUDI Wallet acceptance comes first; the same interface also carries other IDs, such as national eIDs, bank IDs and identity documents, inside and outside the EU.
For energy organisations, the ID Connector handles the technical complexity of wallet acceptance in practice. This includes:
- Accepting EUDI Wallet credentials and attestations for customer authentication, contractor verification, and third-party system access
- Verifying issuer signatures against national trusted lists consolidated in the EU List of Trusted Lists (LOTL)
- Checking revocation status through issuer-provided status information
- Validating wallet unit attestations to confirm that the presenting wallet runs on a certified wallet solution
- Enforcing the registered attribute scope so that only the data specified in the relying party’s registration under CIR (EU) 2025/848 is requested
- Connecting to a qualified trust service provider for qualified electronic signatures on contracts, authorisations, and audit trails
Whether you are a grid operator, energy supplier, or infrastructure provider, the ID Connector gives you a single integration point for EUDI Wallet acceptance that works across Member States as national rollouts mature. Explore the TrustTech platform or get in touch with our team to discuss what eIDAS 2.0 means for your organisation specifically.